http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/3319695
Aug. 22, 2005, 1:21AM
Rockets get man in Anderson
Dogged pursuit pays off as guard agrees to contract
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle
Eight months after the Rockets thought they had Derek Anderson, they finally do.
Anderson, moved by the Rockets' long pursuit, agreed to a two-year contract, the second year at his option, with the Rockets on Sunday, Anderson's agent Tony Dutt said.
"He's coming here," said Dutt, who is based in Houston. "He's looking forward to the opportunity, a chance to start, to work to earn his minutes."
Anderson, a 6-5 guard, is expected to sign with the Rockets on Tuesday. The Rockets were able to offer him their smaller salary-cap exception, worth $1.67 million the first season, considerably less than many teams had offered. Anderson had narrowed his choice to the Rockets and Lakers.
But the Rockets had been close to landing Anderson in February when Anderson thought the Trail Blazers had agreed to send him to the Rockets for Maurice Taylor.
Loyalty the word
Anderson, 31, who wears the word "Loyalty" on everything from clothing to jewelry to a tattoo on his back, was swayed by the Rockets' long efforts to bring him to Houston.
"I think it (the Rockets' long-held interest in Anderson) definitely played into it," Dutt said.
Anderson will earn the $18.84 million left on his contract with the Trail Blazers. But because Dutt was able to get Portland to waive the NBA's "set off" provision when releasing a player — the formula used to reduce a team's financial obligation when a player signs with another team — Anderson would have received the full value of the offers he received. That made the difference in the Rockets' offer and other offers more significant.
"It wasn't about the money," Dutt said. "It's about a system that works for him, to get a chance to compete on a high level again and be on a winning team."
McKie to Lakers
Former 76ers guard Aaron McKie agreed to terms with the Lakers, accepting half the Lakers' midlevel exception, $2.5 million, that Los Angeles offered Anderson soon after he was released by Portland on Aug. 3 in the NBA's first luxury-tax amnesty cut.
Anderson has averaged 13.1 points on 41.1 percent shooting and 34.3 percent 3-point shooting in eight seasons with the Cavaliers, Spurs, Clippers and Trail Blazers.
With the Rockets, Anderson could earn playing time at shooting guard, small forward or point guard.
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